{"id":8340,"date":"2021-01-18T13:52:38","date_gmt":"2021-01-18T13:52:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/?page_id=8340"},"modified":"2024-03-16T14:40:15","modified_gmt":"2024-03-16T14:40:15","slug":"diana-kitty-annie-maria","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/index.php\/diana-kitty-annie-maria\/","title":{"rendered":"Diana Kitty Annie Maria"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
AKA<\/strong><\/td>Darling Dinah Kitty Annie Maria
The Pride of Clerkenwell<\/td><\/tr>
First Published<\/td>1874<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Writer\/composer<\/td>George Ware<\/td>Roud<\/strong><\/td>RN13666<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Music Hall Performers<\/strong><\/td>JH Stead, George Ware<\/td><\/tr>
Folk performances<\/strong><\/td>Source Singers<\/strong>
Everett, Hiram; Canada : Nova Scotia; 1948
McAuliffe, Kathleen; Canada : Ontario 1957
Pardon, Walter; England : Norfolk; 1987<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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From Original Sheet Music<\/strong>\n\nT'was in the month of June, when the birds were in full tune,            \nI first met a charming little creature,\nHer eyes they shone as bright as the twinkling stars at night,\nAnd a kind smile played on every feature.\nI said, my dearest belle, your name to me pray tell,\nFor you're just about the sort I admire,\nShe tossed her pretty head as blushingly she said\nMy name's Diana Kitty Annie Maria.\n\nYou should only see her feet, as she trips along the street,\nShe's just about the sort to admire,\nSuch a girl is seldom seen, she's the pride of Clerkenwell\nIs my darling Diana Kitty Annie Maria.\n<\/em>\nShe's the prettiest little foot, in the prettiest little boot,\nAnd a pretty little ankle, too, believe me;\nShe's got such a pretty face, and a darling little waist,\nAnd looks like a girl as won't deceive ye.\nNo Lady in the land has got a prettier hand,\nAnd a pretty fortune left by her sire;\nShe's a beauty altogether, from her bonnet to boot leather,\nIs my darling Diana Kitty Annie Maria.\n\nWhen take her in the Park,them soldiers they remark,                                                               \n\"I should like to give that girl a dozen kisses\",\nOr, \"I'd give a full month's pay to take her slick away,\nFor that must be the pinnacle of blisses\".\nThem tall soldiers in the Guards they wink so very hard,\nAnd their manly forms most girls admire,         \nBut their winking games won't do,for she sticks to me like glue,\nDoes my darling Diana Kitty Annie Maria.\n\nI took her to a ball at the Agricultural Hall,\nYou should have seen her going through the Lancers,\nOn the light fantastic toe, we round and round did go,\nAnd we really did astonish all the dancers.\nThe Polka she can dance like any girl of France,\nI had no idea she was such a flier, \nSo graceful, light, and airy, like a little flying fairy,\nIs my darling Diana Kitty Annie Maria.\n\nOft I take her to the play, just to pass the time away,\nAnd the Opera, too, when in season\nFor she sings like any Lark, from daylight until dark,\nAnd I mean to bring her out next season; \nMany singers there may be, who can only sing to G\nBut she can sing three octaves higher\nBelieve me, 'tis true, she can sing to double you (W)\nCan my darling Diana Kitty Annie Maria.\n\nSingle longer I won't tarry, for her I'm going to marry,\nTo the old parson I've been and given warning,\nTo make us two <\/em>in one<\/em>, like a penny hot-cross bun,\nIn three weeks from next Monday morning.\nWith our little family how happy we shall be,\nOne boy and three girls we require,\nFor the little boy, you see, shall be christened after me<\/em>,\nAnd the girls, Diana Kitty and<\/em> Annie Maria!<\/pre>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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A song written and composed by George Ware, better known as a powerful Music Hall agent, and made famous in the halls by JH Stead. The song survives in a handful of broadsides and songbooks, and appears in the repertoire of a small number of traditional singers on both side of the Atlantic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JH Stead (1827-1868)  was a comic singer active in the halls between about 1860 and 1885, often billed as “the man who never stood still”. His most famous song was The Perfect Cure <\/em>and he was famous for performing it jumping up and down athletically on the spot, with his arms tight to his sides…<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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The sheet music for Diana Kitty Annie Maria <\/em>was first published by Charles Sheard in 1864 – even though it is undated, this is a reasonably firm date as there are contemporary adverts and the same date is given in the Musical Bouquet Catalogue<\/a>:<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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 Daily Telegraph, Nov 3 1864<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
It was in the repertoire of American vaudeville pioneer Tony Pastor and appears in his Bowery Songster of 1867. He sang it to the tune “Happy Land of Canaan”<\/em> – I have been promised a copy of the original Sheard sheet music so when I get it I will compare tunes. It would be interesting to see if the recordings made of traditional source singers in Canada use the Music Hall tune, or whether they use the music adopted by Pastor.. I believe that the version recorded by Helen Creighton from the singing of Hiram Everett will shortly becoming available online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The song was probably designed for regional variation – even if it wasn’t, that’s what happened. A  Scottish version<\/a> from the Poet’s Box has a chorus claiming  “Such a girl is seldom seen, she’s the pride of Glasgow Green<\/em>” with a liaison in West End Park <\/em>and a ball at the Free Trade Hall<\/em>. In other versions she came from Camberwell – several others exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sources:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n